The Twilight 25
by CourtneyHale
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles written for The Twilight 25 writer challenge. Each chapter stems from a one word prompt. Pairings, genres and ratings will vary.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight characters nor do I profit from using them in stories. **_

**Hi all :) I'm participating in the Twilight 25, a writing challenge for authors. We have 3 months to produce 25 one-shots or drabbles based on 25 one word prompts. The pairings, ratings, and genres will be different for each prompt; they will not be connected in any way. You can go to **http://thetwilight25(dot)livejournal(dot)com **to check out the other authors and the pieces they write. **

**Thank you, thank you, thank you a thousand times over to the wonderful ladies over at Project Team Beta for their help in proofing this chapter. Their help was invaluable :)**

**I hope you enjoy the first of my 25 :)**

**Prompt**: Plea  
**Pen name**: CourtneyHale  
**Pairing**: Edward/Bella  
**Rating**: T

~*~

Bella's suitcase was splayed open on their bed, items of clothing and belongings haphazardly thrown in its general direction. She realized that her life over the past months had been spiralling toward this moment—ever since Edward starting pleading a headache or a long day at the office as an excuse to shut himself away. From her and the reminders that her face brought.

She stormed into the room, dumping an armful of photographs and ornaments into her suitcase. She needed to get out. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe here. His excuses and pretexts had finally stifled the very will that had for so long, urged her to keep trying.

"Bella, please!" Edward groaned as he jogged after her. "Don't do this now!"

"Why? So we can go play happy families for your parents? I don't think so. I'm not a puppet. You don't pull my strings."

"Bella," he pleaded, "tell me love, what's it going to take? Tell me, anything and it's yours."

"You just don't get it, do you, Edward?" she said, throwing her hands up in the air. "It's not about the money, or what you've got, or what you can buy me. I don't care about any of that! I never did! I would have honestly thought you knew me better than that. But obviously –" she exhaled with finality – "you never knew me at all."

Edward's face fell as he ran his hand through his hair. Bella couldn't stop the strain of her heart strings as his eyes looked sadly out the window, his hands rubbing down his face as if trying to convince himself that this was a dream.

But it wasn't.

This was real. This was her life. Wrong, it had been her life. But finally, she had had enough. She loved Edward, she truly did, but he had changed. They had both changed. It wasn't like when they dated and he had brought her red roses and knew what that meant. It wasn't like before they were married and they had sat watching the sunset, talking amicably about the meaning of life. It wasn't like their wedding night, when he had shown her exactly how much he loved her through touches and kisses. It wasn't like the nine months when she had carried his child, when they cuddled up in bed cooing at and rubbing her stomach.

He had changed since then.

He spent more time at the piano in his music room than he spent in their bedroom. He slept more often on the couch than he did in their bed. She barely saw him in their excessively large house. When she sought him out, he was tired and drawn. However, without fail he managed to drag himself out of his funk every Sunday night for the traditional family dinner at his parent's house and pretend everything was okay.

But it wasn't.

She had religiously tended to the tiny grave that held their baby girl, but he never came. Not once. She took solace in the soft grass and concrete headstone; it almost made her feel whole again. It made her feel that maybe she could just reach out and touch her, feel her, hold her. But nothing could replace the gaping space that the two people who she loved most had left.

"Bella," he whispered, his voice breaking over her name.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"I just can't do this anymore, Edward," she sighed, before turning back to her suitcase. Tears blurred her vision, and she caught her finger on the sharp zipper.

"Shit," she muttered as a trickle of blood slid down her finger. She sat down on their bed and held her finger, watching as her tears dropped down on to her finger and into the wound.

The bed shifted under her as Edward sat down noiselessly. Carefully, he reached for her finger and brought her hand in to his lap, where he cradled it. With the other hand he dabbed gently around the cut with a handkerchief he pulled out of his pocket. Once he was done cleaning her finger, he walked into their en suite and returned with a bandaid which he placed over her cut, smoothing the edges down with cautious precision.

She let her hand linger there as he caressed the length of her finger with his own. They both watched as his fingers slid between hers and curled them tenderly. She wiped her remaining tears away with her other hand before looking at Edward.

As if sensing her gaze, he lifted his head, and they sat for a moment in a silent search of each other's face. Bella sought the warm feeling of protection and love that they had once shared. She missed the way his arms used to feel around her, as he held her close. She missed looking into his green eyes and knowing that everything would be all right.

Edward found himself lost in the depth of Bella's eyes. He almost couldn't bear to acknowledge the hurt that was so close and so obviously pooling just below the surface. But he knew he had to. He knew that he had caused so much of that hurt. He knew that this, all of it, was his fault. He should have been there, and he wasn't. He should have held her properly, but he hadn't. How he had missed his Bella. There was no one to blame but himself. He had lost her; he had not searched day and night when she disappeared. He had accepted the shell of Bella when it was the soul, the life of Bella that he loved. It was this Bella that he needed to survive. She was him, his essence, his reason for being.

He wouldn't lose her. He couldn't lose her.

"Bella–," he began at the same time as she started with "Edward."

They shared a small smile, but he could see she had given up. She didn't believe in him anymore. He had to tell her. He had to make her see.

"Bella," he began again quickly, "I'm sorry. I wasn't there when you needed me. I let you believe I didn't care. I let you mourn alone. I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm sorry I let you think those things, because they were all wrong. I wasn't there for you because I couldn't even be there for myself. How could I have let you sacrifice so much? You nearly died, and what did I do? I encouraged you, I urged you on. I'll never forgive myself and I don't blame you if you can't either. But before you leave, Bella, please know that I do care. I've never cared for two people more than you and...our baby," he said, choking on the painful reminder of the one they had both lost.

Bella shook her head as her tears fell freely, and she kept her lips pressed together tightly to hold back the sobs that were threatening to overcome her body.

"Edward, I'm sorry--" she tried to begin, before Edward opened his mouth to protest. She held up her uninjured finger and placed it on his lips, quieting him.

"I'm sorry, Edward. But the fault wasn't entirely yours. I didn't want to lose you, but I did," she confessed before she took a deep breath. "I said that we would do this together, but I thought I could do it alone. We made this mess together," she said and looked sadly into Edward's eyes.

"Then I think it's only right that we fix it together too," he said, his voice slightly high as he tried to appear confident. But vulnerability and fear of rejection were exceedingly clear in his eyes.

Bella looked at him, really looked at him, and smiled as she saw an inkling of the man she loved. She could recognise the Edward and Bella they used to be in his eyes, and for all the money and belongings in the world, there was nothing she wanted more than that.

She nodded. "Okay."

Edward's eyes sparkled brightly and he struggled for words. Finally, he merely echoed her. "Okay."

Bella beamed happily before wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face in his warm, comforting chest. He embraced her fully, wrapping his arms around her protectively. Finally, she had heard his plea and recognized it for what it was: an entreaty for mercy and change. He would make no more excuses.

~*~

**Well there we have it. Don't forget that there are 24 more one-shots/drabbles to come, so alert and let me know what you thought :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Prompt**: Erosion  
**Pen name**: CourtneyHale  
**Pairing**: Jasper/Alice  
**Rating**: T

~*~

One by one, she peeled them away.

His walls, his defences; they were his protection. He built them to keep people out.

One by one, she got closer to him.

She wore at his fears. She erased his insecurities.

One by one, she fought against his efforts to protect her from himself. Then she realised his walls weren't only to keep others out, they were to keep the monster inside.

But she didn't run, she didn't hide. She tenderly caressed the monster, taming his inner fire. She showed him another way, a better way to live. She showed him love.

~*~

**The Twilight 25 is a challenge for writers to complete 25 drabbles or one-shots within three months, based on 25 single words. You can view more information here: http://community(dot)livejournal(dot)com/thetwilight25/**

**Thanks for reading, let me know if you liked it :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Prompt**: Awkward  
**Pen** **name**: CourtneyHale  
**Pairing**: Edward/Bella  
**Rating**: T

~*~

Bella's heart rate faltered before racing worryingly fast in correspondence with the doorbell chime. I couldn't see her, but I could hear her footsteps quicken as she ran around her room. Her father's own footsteps resonated louder as he walked towards the front door.

My finely attuned eyes didn't miss the flash of discouragement that crossed his face as he opened the door.

"Chief Swan," I said, fighting back the ridiculous urge to justify myself.

"Cullen," he muttered before taking a swig of his beer and opening the door wider for my entrance.

"Edward, I'll be down in a minute!" came Bella's cry from the second floor before a loud thump, as she tripped and landed on her hands and knees, I guessed. As much as I wanted to go and check that Bella was alright, Chief Swan had not returned to his recliner in front of the television which was currently blaring the latest college football game. No, he was standing in front of me, taking measured glances in between mouthfuls of beer.

I glanced warily at him and concentrated on finding his thoughts, which was a difficult task in this house full of silence. They were barely above a whisper in the recesses of the room, softly spoken concerns about my intentions regarding his daughter.

_Those Cullens sure do have a lot of money. They can afford that big mansion, fancy cars for all of their kids, nice new clothes for them too,_ he thought and a mental image of my reflection flashed before my eyes. He noticed and critiqued everything from my rolled up shirt sleeves and the family ring I wore on my finger, to the way my hair was falling haphazardly around my face.

I nervously brushed the strands away from my face and stuck my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. The silence between us felt strained, but I don't think the Chief was too bothered by it. He was studying my face, as if he too could read thoughts and was trying to suss out what I wanted to do to his daughter.

I tried to put on my best innocent face but under the Chief's direct stare, I just looked like I had swallowed a lemon. If I ate lemons, that is.

_Don't you dare lay a finger on her._

"Oh, don't worry, sir. I would never do anything to hurt Bella!" I quickly blabbed.

Chief Swan's face morphed into surprise and I realised that I had in fact responded to his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and my icily cold skin suddenly felt a little warm.

"Edward!" Bella said happily as she appeared in the hallway between her father and me. I breathed a large, unnecessary sigh.

"Bye Chief Swan," I said, forcing my voice lower as I nodded in his direction. Bella was looking curiously between us, probably wondering why I looked extraordinarily guilty and her father looked like he wanted to stage a Spanish Inquisition.

As we walked quickly over to my silver Volvo, I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist and whispered into her ear.

"Well that was awkward."


	4. Chapter 4

**Prompt**: Aesthetic  
**Pen** **name**: CourtneyHale  
**Pairing**: Vegetarian vampire  
**Rating**: M (violence?)

~*~

The unsuspecting prey grazed at the fresh grass. Its throat expanded and contracted as it swallowed the shoots.

The dull thudding of blood being pumped around the prey's body called to him. He shifted forward into a crouch; the hunter's stance before an attack.

The prey's senses picked up on his movement. Its thick jugular was now exposed to him. He watched it swell and felt as its heart rate increased; adrenaline now racing through its veins in preparation for flight or fight.

He smiled; the smile of a hunter who knows he has his prey.

Jumping forward, he attacked.

~*~

**I struggled with this one but I finally interpreted 'aesthetic' as 'that which appeals to the senses'. Animal blood appeals to vegetarian vampires, get it? Got it. Good :) The next few prompts will appear...well, promptly ;) As the due date is Dec 1!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Prompt**: Wood  
**Pen** **name**: CourtneyHale  
**Pairing**: Jacob  
**Rating**: T

~*~

Jacob sat alone, whittling away at the stick of wood in his hands. The heady smell of bark and fresh rain filtered through the ajar window; spreading into his small room.

His friends had thought him a glutton for punishment, for staying here. But some of them knew; Sam, Quil, Jared and Paul. They understood why he could not leave.

Because although he could not see her; he could not live without her. And living close to her was better than nothing at all.

He wanted nothing more in the world than to be near her. But he was not permitted any more.

At first, he could not imagine life without her.

But the first day passed and while he did not see her, he could not stop the air from reaching his lungs, prolonging his useless existence.

The second day came and went and yet, he breathed on.

On the third day, when he thought he could bear it no longer, his lungs filled with life and his emotions tumbled further into the darkness of despair.

As the light from the fourth day disappeared, he could not fathom the dichotomy between his mind and body. How could he want to live so much but yearn to die a painful and melancholy death at the same time?

The sun's rays on the fifth day shadowed him as he ran as close as he could to her.

He hoped that even if he could not see her, a closer proximity would ease the bindings around his heart.

It didn't.

Nothing could relieve the tightness in his chest or the anguish in his mind.

He howled mournfully at the full moon of the fifth day.

Jacob sits whittling away, carving his former wolf form into the wood. He stares forlornly at the sculpture, before placing it in an empty space beside the innumerable other figures carved for his lost love.

~*~

**TBH, this was what I wanted to happen as soon as I read the imprint. I was egging Bella on when she attacked him... Sorry Team Jacobites! Dw, after seeing NM I look on him more favourably ;) Read and review! I'm kind of interested in writing a couple more of these JacobXlost love o/s.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Prompt: **Raindrops

**Penname: **CourtneyHale

**Pairing: **Alice/Jasper

**Rating: **T

~*~

Kneeling in the damp grass, Alice ran her fingers along the rough edges of her gravestone. The stone was granite; rough and cold – just like her new skin.

She traced the lettering, _Mary Alice Brandon_, and the date of her death. There was no mention of a loving daughter or distraught parents, no captivating quote or short poem. Her gravestone was empty and lifeless – just like her memory of human life.

Her hand dropped to the single rose laying across the base of her grave. The petals were a little wilted, but its beauty was obvious. She wondered who had left it there. Surely there was no one left who remembered her; no one that she could remember loving her. But all the same, it brought her hope. Hope that someone, somewhere had once cared about her and maybe, still did.

A raindrop fell onto her cheek. Another, and then another followed. She pretended that they were her unshed tears. A physical representation of the pain and loss that she felt on the inside.

She picked up the rose. It was disfigured but perfect – just like Jasper. She felt his strong hand on her shoulder and she looked up into his cornflower blue eyes. His pale cheeks were dripping with water too. She imagined he was crying for her.

~*~

**So I'm apparently incapable of reading a calendar and sort of only just realized that I have 18 prompts to write over the next two days. Nope, the box filling of other Twilight 25 chapters didn't clue me in or anything. So you know, expect more of these. **

**I liked the way this developed. I honestly didn't plan for the parallels between her grave and her new life but I think they worked out perfectly! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Prompt**: Walls  
**Pen** **name**: CourtneyHale  
**Pairing**: Bella/Edward  
**Rating: **T

~*~

The silence was unnerving. It felt unnatural, man-made. Yet, she knew she had to move. The guard's hourly patrol would lead him right past her hiding spot soon.

Noiselessly, she stood up from her crouch and skimmed the immediate area with her eyes. She patted her hip, where her gun was holstered, automatically. With the halls to her right and left clear, she dashed across to the keypad that accessed the seemingly impenetrable bank's mainframe room.

She smiled to herself as she keyed in the 10 digit access code that she had skilfully persuaded from the new, impressionable security agent. _It has been easier than taking candy from a baby_, she thought happily to herself. She liked it when a mission went smoothly.

As the doors hissed open and she slipped inside, her stomach twisted and a strange feeling overcame her. Slowly, her hand crept towards her gun and she pressed herself against the walls of the room.

After a long pause, she brushed it off as a nervous reaction. Although she usually trusted any gut feelings, this mission was so undercover that she was only one of three people in the world who knew of it.

Walking slowly, allowing her eyes to sweep over the intricacies of the room. Lights flashed and computers buzzed softly with the power of electricity. She reached the centre of the room and slid in behind the desk. Hastily accessing the bank's main account information and setting up the transfer, she smiled to herself again.

The generic computer error sound wiped any traces of that smile off her face.

Retyping the password that would finalize the transfer, she prayed. But as the error sound echoed around the empty room again, her stomach plummeted. She swiftly comprehended the meaning of this. The mission was compromised. Someone on the inside had betrayed them. There may or may not be an immediate threat to her safety. She needed to get out of there, and quickly.

"It's too late," came a male voice from the shadows.

She stiffened and hooked her hand around the handle of her gun.

"Oh now, don't do that," he cooed as he came into the light.

"Edward," she hissed. The new, impressionable security agent she had stolen the access codes from was walking towards her. As he walked towards her, she tried to deduce where he had come from. Somewhere in the shadows of the walls; her gut feeling was right.

And now he was walking towards her, a revolver dangling from his strong hands.

She remembered they way they felt on her body; sweeping along her sides and caressing her gently.

She shoved those thoughts from her mind. The cost of the access codes had come at a price she was more than willing to pay after laying eyes on the handsome, green-eyed agent.

"Bella," he said to her as he paced around the edge of the desk until he was standing right in front of her.

In an instant, Bella realized she had well and truly been played. She was not the skilled operative she had thought herself to be. Nor had she been given the smooth and simple mission where everything went according to plan, as she had thought it to be.

She saw her world crashing around her.

Edward's finger under her chin pulled her face upwards to his own. His penetrating gaze stared into her with a smirk.

"You had me fooled, Miss Swan," he whispered. "But even now that I know who you really are, I can't bring myself to give you up." His stare intensified.

She held his gaze and bit her lip, playing coy. It worked. His eyes flicked down to her lips and then back to her eyes; the want burning through his emerald green irises.

She raised herself on her toes and gently pressed her lips to his, slowly increasing the pressure as she got closer to him. His soft exhale tickled her skin and a light ripple of goosebumps erupted across her shoulders.

Pausing together for a long second, they let their breath intermingle raggedly.

"Then don't," she breathed before running out of the room.

~*~

**I just really wanted to write some Spyella but you got a bit of Agentward thrown in too ;) So I'll be writing like crazy for the next 19 hours... See you soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Prompt**: Crusade  
**Pen** **name**: CourtneyHale  
**Pairing**: Bella/Edward, Alice/Jasper  
**Rating: **T

~*~

"Come on, Bella! It'll be fun," Alice encouraged as they walked through the quadrangle.

"What part of 'sporting competition' sounds fun to you Alice?" Bella replied sarcastically.

"Well, there's the hot, sweaty, masculine guys in tiny shorts and singlets all competing for the title of number one. It's man's greatest, primal urge and _all_ those boys want to prove that they are the most suitable male for cohabitation with us," she professed, gesturing wildly to emphasize her point. Sometimes her anthropological studies were helpful, but other times, like right now, they were downright annoying.

"Just imagine," she continued. "All of them, in one place, just ready for the taking! It's so medieval, it's wrong but oh, so right all the same," she said with a cunning smile.

"Ugh! Fine, Alice! I'll come, but know that I will hate every single minute of it," Bella managed to get in while Alice paused for breath.

"Yay!" she squealed as she hugged Bella tightly. "We'll head out and get good seats around 6, okay?"

"Fine," Bella grumbled before they parted ways for the day.

~*~

"Bella!"

Upon hearing her name, Bella winced. She knew that voice all too well; Mike Newton. Her persistent admirer and sometimes stalker called out her name again before appearing beside her.

"Hi, Mike," she said, with a weak attempt at a smile.

"I was wondering if you were heading out to the track meet tonight? I'm the favourite for the 100m and the long jump, you know," he said proudly while flexing his bicep.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'll be there," she sighed.

Mike looked elated. "Well, make sure you look out for me," he said happily. "I'll look out for you," he went on with a seemingly flirtatious wink in her direction before jogging off.

~*~

A tap on Bella's shoulder interrupted her concentration on her Old English Literature professor's lecture. She turned around, puzzled, to see the Tyler, a guy she vaguely knew from a number of her classes who always had a large grin for her, holding out a folded note.

She took it, still puzzled, and opened it.

_Hi Bella! I was wondering if you were headed to the track meet tonight? You should; I'm competing in the 100m and javelin. I think you'd really enjoy watching ;)_

She almost groaned out aloud.

~*~

"Hoo-rah, hoo-rah! Woo, woo, woo!"

The cheers and cat cries of the crowd were giving Bella a headache.

It didn't help that Alice was cheering just as loudly, encouraging them on. It was nearing the end of the night, with the last race the 100m final.

As the boys lined up their blocks, Bella spotted Mike waving excitedly in her direction. She gave a small, embarrassed wave back. Tyler was doing some warm ups; stretching his muscles and flexing his biceps. When he looked up at her and blew her a kiss, there was no way she was going to acknowledge his behaviour.

Quickly glancing away, she surveyed the rest of the field. A weedy boy with glasses in Lane 2, Mike in Lane 3 – still waving earnestly, Tyler in Lane 5, a lanky, blond haired boy in Lane 6 and jogging a little way down the track – Lane 4 was a toned, tanned and muscly man with bronze hair.

She watched, captivated, as he jogged back to the start line; his movements were graceful and powerful. As the starter called the athletes to attention, she could see both Tyler and Mike both staring at her, huge, self-confident grins on their faces but she ignored them.

Discreetly checking her program, she scanned the list of athletes for the 100m final. Lane 4, Edward Cullen.

She looked back up at the track to see the boys crouched in their set position. As the gun went off they began the race, Bella felt herself sit up a little straighter and peer closely as the athletes competed for the title of number one.

It was a tight race between Tyler, Mike and Edward Cullen. But as they passed the halfway mark, Tyler began to slow while Mike and Edward were neck and neck.

With only metres to go it seemed that the race would end in a draw, but at the last minute, Edward's strides seem to increase and he stuck his chest out and over the line ahead of Mike. The crowd erupted and Bella's face transformed into a large, grin.

~*~

The next day, Bella looked for Edward Cullen as she attended classes around campus. When she had nearly given up hope that she would see him, she heard someone call out her name.

"Bella Swan?"

She whirled around, only to see the very person she had been searching for all day. And, oh boy. He was even better looking close up, with a kind and sweet smile that made her insides melt.

"Yes," she replied, curiously.

"I saw you at the track meet last night and I asked Mike if he knew you. I hope you don't mind," he said with a gorgeous, crooked smile.

"No, not at all," she said quickly with a shake of her head. "Congratulations on your win."

"Thank you," Edward replied. "I was wondering...How would you like to go for coffee sometime?"

Bella smiled, but her heart was doing back flips. "I love to," she said.

After all, how could she say no to the man who had proven himself most suitable for her love?

~*~

**Writing increasingly longer one-shots is not helping my bid to have the next 17 done in two hours. Yes, I leave all things to last minute. Hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Prompt**: Worship  
**Pen** **name**: CourtneyHale  
**Pairing**: Carlisle  
**Rating: **T

~*~

"In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," his father said.

"Amen," the congregation replied.

Carlisle, dressed in his holy robes, brought out the Cup of Christ.

Pew by pew, they knelt and received communion. Carlisle passed them bread and held the Cup as they drank the wine.

The open and shut of the church doors echoed loudly through the chapel. Carlisle watched as the hunched newcomers slid into the back pew, heads bowed. _How ironic_, he sneered to himself, _the vampires would come to confess their sins_.

Tonight, he decided. They would hunt them tonight.

~*~

**One down, fifteen to go.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Prompt: **Juvenile**  
Pen name: **CourtneyHale**  
Pairing: **Cullen Family**  
Rating: **T

~*~

"Rosalie, do we honestly have to do this?" Jasper questioned, his voice thick with disbelief.

"Yes, Jasper!" she replied. "We agreed to take it in turns and now it is my turn! So you do as I say. Now to the tent with those props, boy!"

Consulting the checklist in front of her, Rosalie ran her finger down the list to the last unchecked item and frowned.

"Alice!" she hollered in the general direction of the rest of the Cullens.

Rosalie's sensitive hearing was acute enough to hear the jingle of Alice's jewellery as she froze somewhere in the vicinity of her yellow Porsche.

"Mary Alice Brandon," she growled as she took off at a sprint towards the sports car. "Don't you move a muscle!"

Alice decided to make a run for it. This nonsense had gone too far. Launching herself into the driver's seat and throwing the car into reverse, she fishtailed before speeding off towards the road. Just as she was about to make her break for freedom, something collided with the back of her beloved car. She let out a horrified shriek, before slamming on the brakes. Another crash followed by the sounds of splintering glass echoed from behind her.

As she emerged slowly and fearfully looked to the mangled end of her car, she gasped and let out a wail.

"Oh, Rosalie!" she moaned.

Rosalie's crumpled form began to move and she rolled herself off the back of the car, landing neatly on her feet. Brushing off shards of glass and flecks of yellow paint, she turned to glare at Alice.

"Where did you think you were going?" she asked her furiously.

Before she could make up a convincing excuse, her family members arrived, looking equally hideous and attractive at the same time.

"Rosalie! Alice! Are you okay?" they called out together.

Deciding that attack was the best form of defence, Alice took a step toward Rosalie and pointed her finger.

"Rosalie, this is so ridiculous. You can't expect us to go along with your stupid little plan when it means that we have to wear these ridiculous costumes and use our abilities as party tricks just so we can...so we can...go back to normal," she finished with a jab in Rosalie's direction despite stuttering over the words she desperately did not want to admit.

Rosalie's eyes gleamed. "You can't even admit it, can you Alice? You can't say the words that are the very reason why we are here. You can't even confess that it was you who reduced us to _this_," she spat out.

"That's ridiculous...everyone else...," Alice sputtered.

"No, Alice. You. Admit it. Say it," Rosalie taunted her. "Go on. Say the words, 'we're poor'."

Alice paled; she looked positively sickly. Her mouth was agape and she turned away in shame. The others stood on in horrified amazement.

It was true. With the turn of the new fashion season and several estate auctions of some rather wealthy celebrities and notables, Alice's spending had got out of control. But Rosalie also knew that the blame was not squarely on Alice's shoulders.

Carlisle's new medical practice has benefited from several brand new, large and high-tech facilities that had come straight from the best science laboratories of the world.

Esme had gone on a decorating rampage through the new family home. The Victorian era house had to be restored to its former glory and nothing other than authentic would do.

Edward's Aston Martin had gained several brothers and sisters in the form of vintage makes and new models of the brand.

Bella's daily, hours-long phone calls to Renesmee in Morocco in addition to her new found fetish for Hello Kitty paraphernalia had been fuelled by Edward's inability to say no to her.

Emmett had been mysteriously interested in the stock market of late, and as it was later revealed was trying to take over several multi-national organisations by purchasing large numbers of shares in the companies. The family didn't ask.

Jasper's affection for the South had turned into a love affair with Indiana Jones. He had bought a warehouse filled with movie sets, costumes, props, books, figurines and anything else related to his beloved adventurer.

And finally, Rosalie herself admitted that perhaps her new mechanic repair stores were not supporting their upkeep, despite her best attempt.

Now all they needed was enough money for a single plane ticket to Zurich, where they would be able to access their gold reserves in person. They could have organised for the funds to be transferred over the phone but Bella's large phone bill had resulted in the cancellation of their service and a blacklisting with all other providers.

Their prior attempts to drum up some funds had all ended up in shambles or greater debt. Now it was Rosalie's turn to trial her idea and thus, the Circus of Freaks had been born.

Ushering everyone back over to the tented area, with Alice under her refined gaze, she double checked her list. Edward the Magical Mind Reader had his booth set up, charging five dollars a customer to read their mind and reveal their deepest, darkest secret.

Alice the Fortune Teller had been chained to her booth inside the mystical, purple tent where she would reveal a person's future for ten dollars.

Emmett the Strong would be lifting various heavy objects – of course, they would way almost nothing to him – and would be taking requests to lift people or things for five dollars an item.

Inside the largest tent, Carlisle the Great would be performing magical tricks, including, with the assistance of his beautiful assistant, Esme, sawing her in half and a disappearing act – without the smoke and mirrors.

Rosalie, of course, was the ringmaster, dressed in her black jacket with tails and a tight black skirt and heels. She had called on Jasper to make sure that everyone was having a good, and generous, time.

Nodding to herself as she surveyed the carnival, she turned and waited for the first customer to arrive.

~*~

**A bit of fun :) Another one down, 14 to go!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Prompt: **Jealousy**  
Pen name: **CourtneyHale**  
Pairing: **Jasper**  
Rating: **T

~*~

Jealousy is not a green little monster, as everyone seems to assume.

Jealousy is a black liquid that seems into the souls and minds of those who feel too much. It is toxic and dangerous; it makes men do things they might only ever dream about.

I've felt, and seen, my fair amount of jealousy. I've seen women jealous of women, men jealous of men. I've seen it in animals; felt it in inanimate objects.

It is an international emotion.

Dormant in most people, until it strikes. I've seen treacherous acts committed because of jealousy. It is wild and uncontrollable.

~*~

**Another down, 13 to go!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Prompt: **Light**  
Pen name: **CourtneyHale**  
Pairing: **Renesmee**  
Rating: **T

~*~

Renesmee awoke from the strangest dream but she quickly brushed it aside. It was late morning; she had overslept.

She held up her arms in a morning stretch. The bright light bounced off her granite skin, illuminating the diamond-like fragments within.

She twisted her arms left and right, watching as they sparkles appeared and disappeared, turned and changed.

Sometimes they were beautiful; but not as beautiful as her mother or father. In so many ways, she was unlike her parents. She sighed as she catalogued the ways.

"We love you just as much," her mother whispered suddenly from beside her.

~*~

**I'll get there!**


End file.
